Threads of Destiny
Chapter 2
Zelda didn't stop leading Link on until the academy was off in the distance. Once they arrived on the plaza by cutting through the bazaar and other merchant districts, Zelda finally released Link. The two of them left the plaza at a nice slow pace and rested on a nearby hill beneath a tree. Resting their backs up against the tree the dirty blond haired boy released a deep tired sigh, causing Zelda to turn and face him.
"I'm sorry you had to see that Zelda, I really am," Link said, his eyes downcast. "I-I lost control of myse-!" he was cut off as Zelda silenced him by placing one of her fingers on his lips. She gave him a soft smile.
"You don't have anything to apologize for Link," Zelda said in her normal sugar sweet voice. "I would have reacted the same way if I were in your position," she told him. Link looked up from the ground to look at the girl. She had changed out of her training clothes and into her normal strawberry pink dress. It was laced with gold thread around the edges and had a large sapphire embedded in the center just above her chest. She adorned her usual green and pink ribbons in her bangs and had her blue sash containing the goddess's symbol across her waist just under leather belt holding her bag. Her white flight pants that she wore underneath her dress barely showed as her leather boots covered them up for the most part. On her right arm rested the green bracelet that Link had carved for her on her previous birthday.
Link blushed and looked away. As much as he would probably never say it, her dress accented all of her curves very well and made her look even more beautiful, if that was at all possible. He guiltily kept such thoughts to himself though. Guilt. He remembered what Groose said to him earlier.
"You have nothing but a name, no family, no nothing!"
He figured that once they graduated from the knight academy, and became official knights of Skyloft and her colonies, that he would ask Zelda out, and maybe even ask her to marry him, but what Groose said was true, he really didn't have anything but his name to offer her. "Heh, maybe he's right," Link mumbled startling Zelda.
"Who's right?" she asked.
"Groose, I really don't have anything but my name, I don't have a family, the closet thing I have to it is Elder Ilia, but she's not my mother. I don't even know my parents, or if I'm-"Link's depressing attitude was begging to bug Zelda, and she knew the only way to get him to stop was to change his attention completely. How she did it, was completely up to her. As Link began to message the sore hand shaped red mark on his face she readied to go off like a thunder storm.
"Link! Don't ever start with that again! What does it matter if you don't know your parents, it's not like it matters anyway, it won't change who you are or how I or anyone else thinks of you!" She ranted on continuing to startle the boy. After getting up in his face she let out an exaggerated sigh and backed off. "So let it go, I promise when we graduate from the academy we'll head to the Kakariko and Kokiri Colonies to see if we can track anything down about them, ok?" She swore to herself that had to get him to stop dwelling on that subject it would just drive him, and herself, insane.
Link's frown slowly started to curl upwards into a smile. "Ok, he said, his voice alive with vigor again. Zelda smiled back at him.
"Good! Now let's go!" Zelda said as she grabbed his arm, pulled him up to his feet and dragged him back down to the plaza. "Off to the Lumpy Pumpkin!" she cheered. Link followed behind as he was practically pulled with a slight chuckle escaping from him due to her antics. As they passed through the plaza, they had to dodge all sorts of people, from farmers traveling to get their tools repaired or to purpose more supplies to regular merchants trading goods from the colonies. Different stalls were set up all over the edges of the plaza as well as deeper into the bazaar. Restaurants and larger shops lined the merchant districts while the different stalls filled up the interior. The place was always packed during the day, but they managed to cross through successfully.
As they left the merchant district and entered one of the residential areas they passed two women who were chatting amongst themselves. Link could hear their conversation and he was sure Zelda could too.
"Oh! Look, there they go again. I swear Gaepora's going to have a son-in-law before he knows it!," one of them jested. A tall thin woman wearing a simple blue dress with her brunette hair tied into a bun.
The other, a shorter woman with flowing black hair wearing a simple red dress agreed, adding her own jest she said, "There will be wedding bells ringing before the year is over I bet you, won't she turn of age soon?"
Link couldn't hear the next part of their conversation as they fell out of his hearing range. Did everyone really think like that when they see himself and Zelda together? Sure he loved her, but he never told her, and while yes he did eventually plan on telling her his feelings and asking her to marry him, that wouldn't be for at least couple more years at the earliest. His cheeks were burning as he tried to quell the ferocious blush that had spread across his face like wild fire.
Zelda on the other hand had easily quelled her own blushing. She had heard all of the stories spread around about the two of them. Her mother worked in the bazaar and often heard the gossip, and was often asked questions about Zelda. Of course it didn't help that she told her parents that she liked Link as more than just a friend a few years back. But did the women of Skyloft really gossip about them that much? It was getting ridiculous.
Passing between the last of the houses, the two knight students came upon one of the city's primary diving platforms. Letting go of the boy's hand Zelda brought her now free hand to her mouth and let loose a sharp high pitched whistle. A large cerulean colored loftwing squawked and descended to the dock. The large bird hand blue feathers adoring its back and white feathers along its torso. White feathers laced with a lighter shade of blue and purple on the edges made up the back layer of the bird's wing feathers. The same trim colors also filled the bird's eyes. The saddle on its back allowed for Zelda to ride the bird without it being uncomfortable for either of them.
Zelda rubbed the bird on the side of its head. "Hey girl, are you doing alright?" she asked her bird. With a soft squawk the bird nuzzled her rider affectionately, causing Zelda to giggle. "I'll take that as a yes then!" she said as the bird lowered itself to allow the rider to climb on.
Link smirked as he brought his hands together and whistled for his own bird. With a proud squawk, a large crimson bird landed on the deck. The bird had purple and gold trimmings along the edge of its wings and in its eyes. Unlike Zelda's bird, Link's had a longer feathered tail, showing that it was in fact male. Link's loftwing was of a rare breed, thought to be extinct. The crimson loftwings were said to be the stuff of legends, rumored to be faster, stronger and larger than most other birds. While yes Link's bird was larger compared to Zelda's, Link figured it was just because his bird was older. The boy felt the mind and thoughts of the bird brush up against his own. Melding their minds together they bond between rider and bird allowed them to share each others' thoughts, feelings, as well as their senses. The crimson loftwing nipped at Link's hair, its thoughts asking about his confrontation with Groose. Link reassured the bird by patting it on the head.
The proud crimson loftwing nipped at Link's hair again, its way of saying how bored it was, and how eager it was to get flying. After mounting his own bird the duo turned to see Zelda and her bird leap off the deck and take flight. Link followed shortly after.
In the air, with the wind brushing up against his face, he felt truly free. As if he was meant for flying, just him and his loftwing. Looking back he saw the massive city in the sky that was Skyloft. The Island city had massive merchants' districts surrounding the main plaza, the dozens of large compact residential areas surrounding it as well as the outlaying farms near the edge of the sky island. Off in the northeastern edge of the city lay the famed knight academy. The two large dormitory buildings, as well as other smaller buildings for classes, a large field covered in different obstacle courses and training grounds, such as the one he and Zelda were on earlier that day. Although not the only school in Skyloft, there was many in fact, it was just the most popular especially for those with a thirst for adventure. However, all of that was overshadowed by the massive statue of the goddess Hylia to the far north. The statue as well as the small temple that surrounded it lay on a separate island bound to the main city by a large stone bridge. The statue itself was taller than anything in the entire city. The goddess statue's hands were overlapped at the base of its body, providing a platform for the wing ceremony to take place. It was there that he, like all other children in Skyloft, met his loftwing for the first time. He remembered that day, it was one of the most important days in his life by his reckoning.
It was a beautiful sunny day, with clear skies, and a calm breeze. The temperature was nice, not too hot, not too cold, a perfect day. As was tradition, eight year olds met their loftwings for the first time after the wing ceremony. The "goddess" and her "chosen hero" who started the ceremony and finished their part up on the goddess's hands presided over the small children, to help encourage them and offer a blessing.
There were quite a few of the kids, Link being one of them. But unlike Link, the other kids were here with their parents and their loftwings. The young woman playing the part as the goddess called for the kids to line up in front of the massive statue, and proceeded to call them forward one at a time. She showed the kids how to call for their birds, and once ready helped them do it.
Once called the birds would dive out of the sky and land before their new rider. The birds ranged from all colors, browns, greens, yellows, blues, and even more colors. The birds were about the same size as their riders, and many had the same attitude and quirks.
Once familiar with their bird, the young man playing the role of the chosen hero helped the kids saddle the birds, instructed them how to ride and care for the birds, from injuries to sickness to even feeding them, even though the loftwings usually fed on bugs found within thunder clouds. Then once he made sure they understood he escorted them over to the wooden dock near the edge of the temple they had their first flight under careful watch of the knights incase anything happened.
One at a time they were called up, one at a time the birds came, one at a time they took off, and one at a time the parents cheered. Link felt a whole growing in his stomach he was alone, no parents, no family, just him all by himself.
"Link! Isn't this exciting!" a bubbly voice said right next to him. Turning to his side he saw his best friend Zelda in her usual pink attire right next to him, with her mother and father right behind her. He saw that her face shown with an excited smile.
"Y-yeah!" Link said with a new found happiness. He wasn't alone; he was stupid to think otherwise, Zelda was always right there at his side. And soon, he'd have another friend, he would never be alone.
"Groose," the maiden called out. Groose, his usual overconfident self strutted up to the statue and received his instruction. He whistled up into the sky, and after a few short seconds, a squawk was heard in reply. A big purple bird, somehow also having a pompadour, came to him. Link watched them go, take off and fly. Oh, how he wish he could fly, it always looked like so much fun, to be free, no boundaries, no limits, just himself his bird and the sky. He wondered if it were possible to fly up to the sun and the moon and the stars.
The line grew shorter and shorter as more people were called forth and met their birds. Link suddenly became anxious as the line grew shorter. What if a bird didn't come for him? What if the he didn't receive the blessings of the goddess? What if they didn't call him forward? What if he already missed his name? What if he was the only person in Skyloft who never met their bird, or even got a bird? With each question the scenario played out in his head. He just wanted to be normal; so many people said he was different because he had no family. A lot of people treated him like they would a pest, or a beggar, even though he never asked anything from anyone. Sure there were nice people like Zelda and her family, but there were also people like Groose. His thoughts and fears only fueled the growing pit of anxiety that was forming in his gut.
"Link," the maiden called. Swallowing his fear and anxiety he stepped forward. It was ok, he could do this. 'Just be normal,' he said to himself. He repeated that line in his head over and over again. To his dismay, he stumbled on the first step leading up to the platform and almost fell. A bright embarrassed blush swept across his face. The maiden only giggled at his antics and the young man chuckled.
"Easy there kid," he said. "Anxiety can ruin a man." They read right through him, he should have known better. Looking around he saw everyone watching him, the city council members, the city elders, the knight instructors, many different parents from many different families, even Headmistress Ilia, who up until a short while ago had been raising him. She gave him a small nod. Link nodded back and turned towards the duo.
As the maiden explained how to call his bird, he listened intently. He made sure to memorize every detail, from how to whistle correctly, to how to hear the bird's reply. She even said something about being able to "sense" his bird when the two have bonded close together. She demonstrated how to whistle for the birds, and he noticed how every time she whistled, her bird which stood just a few steps behind her had to restrain itself and stay where it was. Was it really that simple? She gestured for him to try.
The sudden outburst of negative thoughts made him stay his hands. What if the bird didn't reply? What if he didn't have a bird? What if-
"Go on Link! You can do it!" he heard Zelda cheer for him. That put a smile on his face and all negative thoughts suddenly cleared from his thoughts. Bringing his hands to his mouth he whistled as hard and loud as he could.
Silence followed. At first a few seconds, then it became a few minutes, then longer than it had been for anyone else. Something was wrong.
Link felt as though his anxiety was going to explode in him. Everyone was watching, everyone could see just how weird he was, the kid with no family, no bird, no nothing, all alone, all by himself. A frown made its way to his face, he struggled to keep his eyes from watering, a losing battle but he had to try. He clenched his fists in frustration and sadness.
The maiden and the young man exchanged worried and confused glances. This had never happened before apparently. Many of the people in the crowd began to talk amongst themselves about the event occurring before them. Even the elders looked lost for an answer. He could hear Groose's father laughing like a drunken man who had been told a joke.
Link wouldn't believe it; maybe his bird just didn't hear him. He whistled again, just as loud, just as strong, but a little more strained, tears falling down his cheeks as silence once again filled the void.
He lowered his head in sadness and closed his eyes. That's when he felt it, as if another mind was pressing its thoughts against his own. Not in a caring mood at the moment Link let the foreign identity made its way into his mind. Suddenly a loud squawk echoed in his head. A vision of the massive city in the sky from very high up in the sky flashed across his eyes.
His eyes shot open and his daze scanned the skies. If only there weren't so many other birds flying in the sky, he might have been able to tell which one was his, was it a green one like Fledge, a purple one like Groose, maybe even one of those blue ones flying around?
Closing his eyes again he whistled a third time. The maiden had a pained look on her face, but her face went from sadness to absolute shock when a reply was heard. Everyone looked around surprised trying to find the bird. Link with his eyes closed received another one of the bird's thoughts. The pier. He understood, and before anyone could do anything he dashed for the wooden ledge.
Before the hero could catch him he leapt off the edge. Two of the knights in the sky immediately dived after him, their birds descending through the sky with absolute grace. A blur raced by passed where Link had been just seconds before and then Link rose above the pier, on the back of a loftwing, a crimson loftwing, one of the rarest colors of them all. Rumors had been told of the red birds having gone extinct, being hunted by bandits because they were supposedly stronger and faster than any other kind of loftwing.
After a lap around the statue, the two landed right in the center of the golden circle. The maiden had her handover her heart with a look of great relief on her face. The hero was busy catching his breath, but none the less he looked relieved as well. Everyone looked at him in awe, but he didn't care. Link was too busy hugging and laughing joyously with his loftwing. The bird in turn nipped at Link's hair affectionately and began to nuzzle him.
Link couldn't have been happier, joyful tears spilled from his eyes as he continued to hold the red bird. He loosened his embrace as the maiden and hero finished their explanation on how to care for the bird. Afterwards he returned to the line like the others had. The blissful smile never leaving from his face, while awestruck looks and envious glares all focused on him.
With a content sigh Link opened his eyes just in time to see Zelda and her bird turn off to the side, getting ready to descend back onto the city. The Lumpy Pumpkin was a very popular pub; it had argueably the best pumpkin soup in all of Skyloft. The place was also a common rest stop for Knights patrolling the air lanes on the lookout for anything that could endanger travelers. Often times the two of them would head there to grab a bite after classes.
The place itself looked as if it were built in the middle of a pumpkin patch. It had two floors, the bottom consisting as a pub as well as a restaurant, and the upper floor as a lodge for travelers. The place was massive. The interior was lined with paintings, and tables. Candle lights provided most of the light, but the most impressive feature about the appearance of the establishment was the massive chandelier. It alone must have cost a fortune.
The two landed outside the pub and left their birds rest. As the approached the doors, all of the voices of the customers conversing amongst themselves filled their ears. Opening the door, they saw that the place was packed, not even a single table was available. Link looked a little disappointed at this, but Zelda only smiled back at him and led him inside. Pushing their way to the bar where the store keeper was, Zelda placed an order for two servings of the famed pumpkin soup to go.
"This place sure is full, huh Zelda?" Link said with an amused chuckle. Zelda giggled back at him.
"Boy you said it. It's a good thing it's a great day today, we can find a nice quiet spot to enjoy our soup," she replied. When Pumm returned with their dishes, all packaged and ready to go, Link stepped forward to pay, but Zelda pulled him back. "My treat," she said as she stepped ahead of him. Ok, now he was confused, wasn't it proper manners for him to pay? Link blinked twice in confusion and made to go after her, but before he could take a single step, Zelda turned around and gave him one of those smiles. It just melted his insides and rendered him immobile with a warm fuzzy feeling while Zelda paid for the food.
With the soup paid for and packed away safely, the two returned to the air and sought after a nice secluded peaceful place to enjoy them. In the end they settled for sitting underneath one of the trees by the goddess statue. The birds flew around them in the sky lazily, while their riders ate soup under the shade of the tree, their backs pressed together, both watching the bustling city below them.
"Oh!" Zelda suddenly piped up, breaking the comfortable silence between them. Link turned to see her rummaging through her small pack. She pulled out a small lump wrapped in brown paper and handed it to Link. "Happy birthday!" she said sweetly.
Holding the package in his hands, Link blinked. Was it really his birthday already? He had completely forgotten. 'That would explain why she was so insistent on paying,' he thought to himself. With a thank you he began to carefully un-wrap the package. He pulled out a… red belt?
Zelda saw the look on his face and began to explain. "It's customary for boys to get a waistband to wear underneath their belts on their eighteenth birthday. It is also customary for the color to be the same as their loftwing," She explained as a blush began to overtake her face. She didn't explain the whole thing, but what she told him seemed to have been enough. "I made it myself, I hope you like it."
"Wow, this is amazing, thanks!" Link said with a bright cheery smile. Zelda felt like she was going to melt, luckily for her he turned and put the piece of fabric on, sliding it on under his belt. Zelda looked away while he did this, just in case. After he finished, the blond haired girl turned back around and inspected her work.
"Good, it fit, I was worried that I may have made it to big," she said with relief in her voice.
"It's great Zelda, thank you," Link replied. Link rolled his arms back and winced as they gave a loud audible crack. Even Zelda winced.
"Come here," she commanded. Link obliged by scooting closer to her. "Turn around and shirt off," she continued. Link shyly complied with the girl's orders. He flinched when he felt her delicate silky smooth fingers began to work on his sore joints and muscles. He felt more cracks, but he easily relaxed as Zelda continued to sooth his shoulders. The way her fingers weaved through his joints, with unimaginable tenderness relaxed him to the point he fell asleep while she worked, a blissful smile on his face.
"Does that feel better?" Zelda asked him. When she didn't get a reply, she leaned closer to the boy and tilted her head so she could see his face. She couldn't help but smile to herself as she saw her best friend already off in dreamland. With a quiet giggle she repositioned herself and gently lay him down so that his head rested in her lap. She began to absent mindedly weave her fingers through his hair as he slept.
Her gaze drifted from his still bare torso up to his chest. Right there she saw the strangest birthmark she had ever seen. It was so odd, it looked so familiar to her, but she had seen it nowhere else in all of Skyloft except for on this boy's chest. It was dark, as if drawn in ink onto his skin. It had an outline of a circle and within it a crescent and a small sphere. She had no idea what it was supposed to be. Link had always done his best to cover it up, and she could understand why.
Link had always just wanted to be a normal boy, with a normal family, living a normal life. Flaunting a birthmark such as this would only hinder his efforts to be normal. After all, such weird birthmarks or tattoos for that matter were extremely rare in Skyloft. He had confided this with her a long time ago, and so she respected his wish to keep the mark secret, but personally she liked it, she liked Link for who he was, every single bit of him, and she didn't want any part of him to change, not even his stubbornness when it came to sleeping in.
Tearing her gaze from the mark, her eyes landed on his lips. Oh, how she wanted to connect them with her own. She had known for a while know that Link liked her, but she wanted him to be the instigator of their relationship. She had decided for herself that she would wait for him to make the first move, but if they graduated from the Knight Academy before he did, then she would take things into her own hands.
But oh, it was so tempting to her. He was asleep, and she knew how deep of a sleeper he was, he would never know, and even if he did, would it matter? A small squawk came from her loftwing as the two birds landed nearby. As if sensing her thoughts the cerulean bird gave her an encouraging nod. Looking back at the boy resting on her lap with a smile Zelda moved some of the stray hair out of the way of his face before steeling her resolve. So long as he didn't know, then she didn't start anything right?
She carefully bent down and gave a very light, very quick chaste kiss to the boy. As quickly as it began it had ended. Zelda was afraid that she would have woken him up, but the feeling of the kiss… As short as it was, Zelda loved every moment of it, and would cherish it as her first and favorite kiss, until Link actually kissed her back. She heard a happy squawk come from not just her's but both of their loftwings. With a smile, Zelda turned her attention back to Link and continued to stroke his hair as she watched over him as the boy slept.
I bet you all were expecting the Groose vs. Link Duel in this chapter weren't you? Unfortunately, that is in the next chapter, I felt some background info about Link would have been rather useful, especially for the plot that I have in mind. However, Link is not in a constant stupor, he just acts that way when Groose or anyone else reminds him of it. The Loftwing ceremony is how I personally see all of the children meeting their loftwings, I hope you liked it.
I promise I'll try my best to update more frequently, but between work and college I'll be a little pushed so please don't get upset if it takes me a while, In the mean time, you can read this longer-than-normal chapter.. Ta ta for now, I hope you enjoyed the Chapter, so please tell me what you think of it! Thanks! –Knownobody.